Floor Statements

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, criminals are actively stealing billions

of dollars from hard-working taxpayers. They are doing it through fraud, and the way to stop fraud is to punish those who commit it. And that is exactly what Republicans are doing.

For 4 years, Joe Biden and the Democrats treated fraud as acceptable and inevitable. Criminals defrauded hard-working taxpayers by deception and deceit. Democrats knew about it. They looked the other way.

Republicans are putting an end to it. We made fighting fraud a top priority. That is how to protect hard-working taxpayers and their money.

Republicans passed the Working Families Tax Cut law. We strengthened eligibility requirements for Medicaid. We ensured that illegal immigrants did not receive taxpayer-funded healthcare. We put in place work requirements for Medicaid and for food stamps.

At the same time, President Trump created an anti-fraud task force. Vice President Vance is leading the charge here. He has an incredible effort going on now, and he is working with clarity and urgency.

Criminals are now hearing a clear message: No amount of fraud is too small to prosecute.

The battlefield against fraud is nationwide, and Minnesota is ground zero for fraud. We know the story. Let me tell you how bad fraud is in Minnesota. Criminals are using children--children with autism--as a way to get rich quickly.

Mr. President, 8 years ago, the Minnesota Medicaid program for children with autism spent $6 million. The money is needed and used to help children actually diagnosed with autism. But driven by massive criminal fraud, the pricetag ballooned from $6 million to $192 million going out.

How did this happen? Well, the program was being looted by crooks, by criminals, and loaded up with corruption. The money was being siphoned away from children with autism--children in need.

Last month, Federal officials charged 15 individuals for stealing $90 million connected to the State's federally funded healthcare program. According to the Justice Department, that includes the largest autism fraud scheme ever prosecuted.

The schemes didn't stop there. Remember the fraudulent daycare center in Minnesota? No children--zero children--were actually enrolled in that facility. It was set up for one purpose and one purpose only: It was set up to steal money from the U.S. Treasury.

So I just heard the minority leader, Senator Schumer, here on the floor talking about daycare centers. Why did the Democrats ignore the abuse of daycare centers to steal money from the American people, from our taxpayers? They don't seem to care about that. They just say: Send more money, send more money, send more money.

And then he comes to the floor, complaining about daycare centers, when it is the fraud in Minnesota, with their own candidate for Vice President being the Governor, overseeing it, ignoring it, allowing it to happen. They don't seem to care about any of those things.

Well, our colleague Senator Joni Ernst investigated. She discovered one of these so-called daycare centers that Schumer is out here talking about as wonderful things. One of these daycare centers raked in over $230,000 from the Small Business Administration alone, just during the pandemic.

Remember, there were no children at the location--none. The Biden administration looked the other way, and the disgraced Governor of Minnesota looked the other way as well.

In total, stolen funds in Minnesota have now been identified as exceeding $9 billion. It is a staggering sum. And that is only one State run by Democrats. California is just as bad, if not worse. I would put it as worse.

Last week, many of us met with Dr. Mehmet Oz. Dr. Oz runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, confirmed here by the Senate. Dr. Oz says nearly half of hospice providers in Los Angeles are fraud--fraudulent hospice providers.

When you think about hospice and what it does--what it is supposed to do--in terms of caring and compassion, comforting those who are dying, not in California--it is used to defraud the government. Many of these so-called hospices don't serve a single patient. Many are shell offices, all in the same office building.

Recall, Los Angeles has only 3 percent of the population in the United States. Somehow, 33 percent of all hospice providers in the entire country are listed in L.A. There aren't that many people who are patients to justify that.

How can it be? Well, it is a racket. That is what it is. It is set up to steal money from the government, from our taxpayers.

And Democrats are well aware of the fraud, and they refuse to stop it. They refuse to talk about it. They want to keep looking the other way.

In Ohio, the anti-fraud task force dismantled a criminal scheme that stole tens of millions of dollars from Medicaid. The criminals submitted false claims for so-called behavior health services. These services were never provided. Criminals used the money to buy a fleet of luxury vehicles, including Maseratis, Mercedes, and a Bentley.

Thankfully, Senator Jon Husted and Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio voted for the Working Families Tax Cut law. They voted to root out exactly this kind of waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption.

Nationwide, total estimates of Medicaid fraud are as much as now $120 billion a year, and the fraud got worse after ObamaCare became law: bigger government, more money, more areas in which criminals can steal.

Vice President Vance is encouraging States to fight fraud in their Medicaid Programs. Those who don't enforce the law will lose Federal funds.

A pattern has emerged. Democrats run the blue States. They control the big cities. And when criminals steal vast amounts of money from hard-working taxpayers, elected Democrats go silent.

Appallingly, we have seen cases where Democrats actually tried to silence whistleblowers, who sound the alarm to try to want to point out what is happening. Democrats try to muzzle them.

Here in the Senate, every single Democrat voted against landmark legislation to fight fraud, to fight waste, to fight abuse, and to fight corruption. Democrats would rather protect thieves than protect hard-working American taxpayers and the people that these programs are created to help.

The American people are absolutely infuriated by the fraud that is being exposed. They are finally seeing the results in combatting it, and they want these people to go to jail.

Republicans are fighting the war against fraud. We are fighting to protect taxpayers, to protect vulnerable families, and fighting to punish the criminals who steal from our country and our communities.

The American people deserve accountability. Criminals deserve the consequences.

I yield the floor.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley), the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis), and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley) and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley) and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Curtis), the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis), and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the centennial of the Triangle X Ranch.

Located at the base of the Grand Teton Mountains in Moose, the Triangle X Ranch is a fully operational guest ranch. This Western icon has introduced thousands of visitors to Wyoming over the past ten decades.

Triangle X Ranch's centennial aligns with America's 250th anniversary. It took the same tenacity and bravery that America's founders demonstrated to forge a life out of the harsh Western frontier. These two milestones align in a way that allows us to honor the independence and hard work required to craft a life on a new frontier.

On June 20, 2026, Triangle X Ranch will celebrate its 100th anniversary as a successful ranching operation, serving five generations of the Turner family. Purchased on July 6, 1926, by John and Maytie Turner, the ranch has a storied history steeped in beauty and overcoming challenges.

That summer, John and Maytie packed up their lives in Morgan, UT, moving to the valley with their sons John C. and Burt. By the fall of 1926, they welcomed their first official guests: a group of big game hunters.

While game was abundant and the land was well suited for cattle, early life on the ranch presented its own challenges. Situated 26 miles out of town, the commute to Jackson was always long, and winter made it treacherous. Since the valley roads went unplowed, the family had no choice but to become fiercely self-sufficient.

For most of the winter, they were confined to the ranch. The infrequent trips to town required a covered horse-drawn sleigh, heated by a small wood stove. Without electricity on the ranch, the Turners relied on wood stoves to heat just two rooms of the main house. During the winter months, the family cut ice chunks from nearby beaver ponds and stored them in piles of sawdust for the summer.

In the late 1920s, the Turners sold the ranch property to John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s Snake River Land Company. The family negotiated the right to continue operating the Triangle X Ranch as a working dude ranch. In 1950, Congress expanded the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park, fully incorporating the Triangle X Ranch property and making it an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service. The ranch remains the last dude ranch within any National Park.

Today, the Triangle X Ranch is a top destination for visitors from around the world. As a premier dude ranch, it offers guests the opportunity to experience the cowboy lifestyle and immerse themselves in the beauty of the Jackson Hole Valley. Much like its early days, guests can take a horseback ride, hike, hunt, fish, or raft down the Snake River.

In addition to hosting guests, it also offers outfitting and guide services, pack trips, and big game hunts. Folks from around the world make the trip to Triangle X ranch to experience firsthand their own Western adventure and experience the grandeur Grand Teton National Park has to offer.

Triangle X Ranch's commitment to conservation is impressive. For generations, the ranch has been a leader in land stewardship efforts and wildlife management. Their guiding principle of caring for the land has also fostered conservation leaders.

John F. Turner served the State of Wyoming first in the State house and then the State senate from 1970-1989. John went on to serve as the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and then as the Assistant Secretary for the State of Oceans and International Environmental Affairs within the U.S. Department of State. He was instrumental in expanding the National Wildlife Refuge System and ensuring protection for millions of acres after seeing the benefits of quality management on the Triangle X Ranch.

Each member of the Turner family has been instrumental in preserving the Western legacy of the Triangle X Ranch. Their hard work and dedication have preserved the beauty and resilience of the ranch. The family successfully bridges the gap between the values of a working ranch and the luxury experience of a western dude ranch. Over the years, members of the family have dedicated their lives to the ranch, including:

John S. and Maytie Turner

John C. and Louise Turner

Bert Turner

Harold and Berniece Turner

John F. and Mary Kay Turner

Donald and Anne Turner

Matt Turner

John Turner

Robert Turner

John Tote Turner

Kathyrn Turner

Mark Turner

Lucas Turner

Elizabeth Turner

From humble beginnings to a legacy as one of the most iconic ranches of the West, Triangle X Ranch has preserved

the true spirit of Wyoming cowboy culture. For generations, the ranch has embodied the cowboy code. Its deep family ties, incredible location and dedication to excellence have solidified its status as an icon of the American West.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Triangle X Ranch, I urge my colleagues to take part in celebrating the legacy of this iconic symbol of Wyoming and America. I applaud the Turner family who, for generations, has worked every day to ensure the ranch remains a leading Western destination. I join the Triangle X Ranch staff, friends, and family in celebrating this momentous anniversary.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, 12 years ago, Barack Obama drew a target on the back of American energy producers and, specifically, coal. Coal mines were under attack by the Obama administration, and his deliberate goal was to kill clean, affordable coal--the most available, reliable, secure source of energy we have in this Nation.

He tried to do it by shutting down coal mines all across the Nation and do it by shutting down coal powerplants that use that coal. And one of the targets that he painted on the back was that of the Dave Johnston Power Plant in Converse County, WY.

Now, the Dave Johnston Power Plant uses Wyoming coal. Our coal is some of the cleanest, most affordable, most available, most reliable coal in the world. It is low-sulfur coal. People around the world want to use Wyoming coal in coal-fired powerplants. It supports hundreds of good-paying jobs. It delivers affordable, available, reliable energy all across the Rocky Mountain West.

Obama wanted to take a sledgehammer to coal powerplants and, specifically, to the Dave Johnston Power Plant in Wyoming, and it was scheduled to close at the end of 2027.

Now, fortunately, the Trump administration has reversed the Democrats' harmful, heavyhanded regulations. The Dave Johnston Plant will keep its doors open. The jobs will be protected. The power it produces will continue to keep the lights on for families across the West. This is the difference between Democrats and Republicans.

We just heard the minority leader come to the floor and talk about costs. Well, let me tell you, Democrats love

high energy costs because they don't want people to use fossil fuels. They think the higher the energy cost, the fewer fossil fuels will be used. And that is their worshipping of the climate god that they have continued to worship.

That is where we are today. Democrats want coal to remain in the ground. They want to treat coal as something to be punished, taxed, regulated, eliminated.

Here is the difference. Republicans understand national security begins with energy security.

When Joe Biden was President, he told his EPA--his Environmental Protection Agency--to prioritize climate over energy that is affordable, available, and reliable, used by the American people.

President Trump and Republicans see it differently. We put American families and American workers first.

Coal is a key economic driver in Wyoming. Wyoming produces nearly half of the coal in the United States. Wyoming truly is America's energy breadbasket. In Wyoming, the royalties, the taxes from mining their coal pays for education for every child in the State.

Coal mining provides jobs for Wyoming workers. These are good-paying, high-tech jobs.

When powerplants know that they will stay open, when they have that commitment, as they do now from President Trump, our coal producers can plan, can invest, and can produce.

President Trump's actions are going to bring down costs for American families.

And it is not just Americans who want Wyoming coal. Our allies overseas, especially in Asia, want it.

Last week, President Trump made a historic announcement. He announced a $75 million investment to support building the West Gateway Terminal Project in Oakland, CA. This facility will expand America's ability to export coal. It is also going to support good mining jobs.

Wyoming's Governor, Mark Gordon, joined President Trump in the Oval Office for the announcement. Governor Gordon told the President about his recent trips to Japan and Taiwan. Japan and Taiwan want American coal. They need it to keep their lights on, and they need it to power their own economies.

We have needed a new port and a facility like this on the west coast for a long, long time. One was supposed to be built 13 years ago, and the location was Oakland, CA.

What happened? Well, environmental extremists protested. They blocked the project. They sued. A decade of lawsuits followed.

This is no surprise to the Presiding Officer. You have seen these sorts of things.

The case went all the way to California's Supreme Court, and, finally, the court ruled with the people that want to develop the port. We need it. It is legal, now approved by the court.

So the new West Gateway Terminal has now been approved and is ready to move forward.

With support from President Trump and the Trump administration, Wyoming coal will soon reach hungry Asian markets. This is what unleashing American energy really looks like. Clean Wyoming coal is the best in the world, and now it is going to continue to help power the world.

Democrats talk like coal lives only in the past. They are wrong. Coal is the lifeblood of an affordable, prosperous future.

Demand for energy continues to grow. We need more energy, not less, and Wyoming coal is there to deliver. And I am grateful that President Trump is doing what he is doing.

Wyoming's energy workers and our coal communities now have the certainty that they need to do what they do best, and that is to power the country with coal--coal that is affordable, available, reliable--a secure source of energy for a long, long time to come.

With the President's historic announcement, last week, the President continues to put American workers, American families, and American energy dominance first.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), and the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) and the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) would have voted ``yea.''

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty), the Senator from Florida (Mrs. Moody), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), and the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.